
Pain
Over 50 million people in the U.S. suffer from chronic pain. 1 in 3 people lose 20 hours of sleep per month due to pain. Although the quality, intensity, duration, and localization of pain is different for each individual, there are a few basic causes for most pain conditions:
Structural Imbalance: Scoliosis, uneven shoulder height, twisted hip girdle, tumors, or herniated disks can cause muscle tension or nerve pinching, and lead to pain.
Chronic Inflammation: Many factors such as inappropriate diet, blood sugar imbalance, lack of or incorrect exercise, repetitive stress (e.g. excessive computer work), and environmental pollution or toxins contribute to inflammation. Some patients even have an auto-immune condition in which pain is the main symptom. When a body’s tissues are inflamed, pain soon follows.
Stress: Sets off the body’s inflammatory cascade (see above), induces chronic muscle tension, and decreases one’s pain threshold. That means that the same level of pain actually feels more intense when one is in a stressed state, compared to when relaxed.
Conventional treatments include pain medications, oral and injected steroids, antidepressants, physical therapy, and surgery. Some of these medications carry a significant risk of addiction, and others have strong side effects or are ineffective in the long-run.
Acupuncture is one of the most effective and non-invasive treatment modalities for addressing pain, and it is also among the best-documented complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies in the scientific literature.
A 2011 meta-analysis of CAM therapies showed that acupuncture was significantly more effective at relieving pain as compared to placebo, physical therapy, or usual care (1). Studies also suggest that acupuncture can be more effective than conventional therapies for post-cecarean pain (2); patients who received acupuncture for their low back pain were less likely to seek physician services for the low back pain than those patients who had not received acupuncture (3); acupuncture treatment significantly improved all measurable outcomes in patients who had migraine, episodic, and chronic tension-type headaches (4)… The studies go on and on.
Pain and its associated health problems are among the top three reasons for patients seeking care at OHS. We address pain in a comprehensive manner.
The unique Acupuncture style practiced at OHS is a gentle yet powerful technique, based on palpation and instant patient feedback. Often, patients experience pain relief during treatment that is both significant and long-lasting. Acupuncture treatments also help to regulate the immune system, promote healthy circulation patterns, and decrease the stress response, all of which help to address pain at the root level.
We provide Dietary Counseling to give your unique constitution a nutrient-dense and anti-inflammatory diet.
If needed, we use Herbal and Nutritional Supplementation to further decrease inflammation, via improved fundamental biological processes such as blood sugar regulation, hormonal balance, and immune system and organ system function.
Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) assist patients with fibromyalgia and other pain related problems.
A combination of the above therapies expedites results. When applied appropriately, patients experience rapid and lasting improvements that significantly improve their quality of life.
